I have not updated this story since November last year and, for that, I humbly apologize. After having no inspiration or motivation to continue this, I finally found some that helped me get off my ass and update this fic.
There's a little callback to the Archie Comics here. For you Archie Sonic fans, I'm sure you guys will notice it ;)
In the meantime, enjoy!
Chapter Three: A Trip to Station Square
Dinner consisted of spaghetti, shrimp and mango salad, fried chicken, and sparkling apple cider. No chilidogs in sight.
"I already had one for lunch," Sonic explained with a grumpy look on his face when his dad noticed the lack of the blue hedgehog's favorite on the dinner table.
"The seamstress warned him that he had to maintain his figure for the outfit. Which means he's had to make some sacrifices," Tails said, giving his brother a mocking pat.
"Only one chilidog a day for the past three weeks." Sonic pouted at Shadow who was seated on the other side of the table, smirking. "The things I do for you," he told him.
"At least Tails and I can finally get you to eat some real food other than that spicy slop," Shadow replied, smoothly sliding a plate containing two chicken legs and a generous portion of salad to him.
Faith giggled at the dramatic gasp her Dad let out while Tails helped her put a heap of spaghetti on her plate. Next to her, Jojo let out a snort as Sonic and Shadow began to banter back and forth about their food preferences.
Maddie started talking about how she watched some of Faith's soccer videos when Sonic and Shadow visited Earth.
"I played soccer when I was in high school. If you want, I can teach you some of my moves," she offered. Faith gave her the most adorable grin and practically bounced in her seat as she nodded.
"Can we play baseball, too?" Faith asked, looking at Tom. "Dad's been teaching me how to play."
"We'll be here for two whole weeks, kiddo. We can definitely squeeze in a couple of games," Tom replied, passing the bottle of cider around.
Once dinner was over, the family moved to the living room where they snacked on Jojo's strawberry muffins while watching 'How to Train Your Dragon' on a DVD player Tails had brought along to Mobius and upgraded. Tails grinned upon seeing Faith and Jojo's jaws drop as the iconic Test Drive sequence played on-screen in HD at 60fps. Even the adults were impressed at the quality of the film.
"How much do you charge for upgrading old entertainment systems, ace?" Rachel asked her nephew jokingly.
Sonic and Shadow chuckled as Faith spread her arms out and pretended to be a dragon, hopping over the couch cushions and beanbags to settle into their arms.
"I wanna meet a dragon," Faith told them, her eyes sparkling.
"Do you have dragons here in Mobius?" Jojo asked, holding half a strawberry muffin to her mouth.
"I heard stories about Chun-nan being the home of the sacred dragons, but I haven't been there yet," Sonic answered, shrugging. He glanced at Tom, who smiled knowingly. His Dad already knew that he was going to put 'Look for dragons in Chun-nan' on his bucket list.
"My team and I went there for a mission once. There are certain areas that are considered sacred to the people that we were told to avoid. Who knows? Maybe they're out there," Shadow remarked.
"Ooh, do you think they'll let us explore those places, Papa? If we ask them nicely?" Faith inquired.
"We'll see someday, sweetheart. In the meantime, the four of us are going to show our human family members around. I bet you're excited about that," Shadow said, booping Faith on the nose.
"Yeah!" Faith grinned at Tom, Maddie, Rachel, and Jojo. "We're gonna go see Aunt Amy tomorrow at Station Square along with Auntie Rouge and Mr. Omega. Then we're gonna go see Uncle Knuckles on Angel Island. It's gonna be so much fun!" she cheered.
They finished the movie at 9 PM along with all of the strawberry muffins. Faith had eaten three and was hopped up on sugar and excitement for tomorrow's plans. Which made getting ready for bed a little challenging for Sonic and Shadow.
"Uh, Mom, Dad? I could use a little help right about now!" Sonic hollered as he and his fiancé chased their hyperactive daughter around her room.
"Nah, I think you and Shadow got this, bud," Tom smirked, folding his arms across his chest. 'Now it's his turn to wrangle his tornado of a kid into bed,' he thought, amused, watching his son narrowly dodge a pillow as Faith bounced on her bed. Maddie whipped her phone out to record the spectacle, making Sonic stick his tongue out at her for a brief second before refocusing on Faith.
Jojo and Rachel got out of the bathroom, dressed for bed, and joined the couple in watching the chaos. A few minutes later, Tails joined them, the genius fox tinkering with his Miles Electric.
"Maybe we should have eaten those muffins earlier in the day," Jojo mumbled, seeing Faith running up the wall. How did she even manage that?
"Probably…" Tails smiled softly at the scene. "I haven't seen Faith this excited since Sonic and Shadow started mentoring her. It's nice to see her so cheerful like this," he said quietly before looking at the humans around him.
"You guys should be proud. It took me, Knuckles, Amy, and all our other friends a month to fully earn Faith's trust. And another before she was completely comfortable being around us. You've managed to bring out her cheerful, excitable, side in just one day."
Tom, Maddie, Rachel, and Jojo looked at each other, stunned by this revelation.
At the same time, Shadow finally managed to grab Faith as the little tenrec tried to leap across the entire length of her room. He then proceeded to tickle the giggling little girl, giving Sonic enough time to bring out Faith's pajamas.
"Okay, got all that energy out of your system?" he asked once his daughter had calmed down.
Faith blushed and nodded. "Yeah..." she mumbled, looking at the pillows and toys scattered around her room. "Sorry… I'm just really excited for tomorrow, Papa."
"We know you are, kiddo. Which is why you gotta sleep now. So you'll have lots of energy to show everyone around." Sonic helped Faith into her pajamas then guided Faith to Tails and her human family members. "Time for goodnight hugs," he announced.
Faith smiled and went to Tails, giving him a big hug. "Goodnight, Uncle Tails," she said sweetly, her uncle wrapping his twin tails around her as he hugged back.
Her human relatives were next. "Goodnight, Aunt Jojo. Goodnight, Grandaunt Rachel. Goodnight, Grandpa Donut Lord. Goodnight, Grandma Pretzel Lady." After giving everybody hugs, Faith went over to Sonic, the blue hedgehog lifting her up and carrying her to bed.
While Jojo and her mom went to the guest room Tails had prepared for them, Tom and Maddie decided to hang back in the doorway to Faith's room. The little tenrec was already yawning as Sonic and Shadow tucked her in. Faith sat up, rubbing her eyes, and hugged her parents.
"Goodnight, Dad. Goodnight, Papa," she said sleepily.
"Goodnight, kiddo. Have sweet dreams," Sonic whispered, kissing Faith on the forehead.
Then, to Tom and Maddie's surprise, Shadow began to softly sing.
"If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky. You can hide underneath me and come out at night…"
Sonic smiled lovingly at his future husband, who smiled back at him, and sang, "I live to let you shine… I live to let you shine…"
Tails let out a yawn and looked to Tom and Maddie, who were watching the sweet moment in front of them. He always loved it when Sonic sang. His big brother used to sing him to sleep during thunderstorms back on Earth, a habit that carried over to Mobius. And Shadow's deep baritone matched well with Sonic's rich tenor, making every time the two hedgehogs sang a duet quite an experience.
And those two had definitely mastered lullabies, evident by Faith falling asleep with a smile on her face as the two finished their song.
"See you in the morning, Faith," Shadow murmured, turning off the light.
When they were in bed that evening, Tom and Maddie held each other and smiled.
"Sonic's a great dad," Tom said softly.
"He's learned from the best," Maddie pointed out, kissing him on the cheek, her husband chuckling in agreement.
The next morning, Maddie woke up to the feeling of something plopping onto the bed. Keeping her eyes closed, Maddie smiled as she felt soft fur that smelled of strawberries. She heard Tom softly snoring beside her followed by a child murmuring, "Grandpa snores like Uncle Knuckles."
Maddie softly laughed and opened her eyes to see Faith curled up in the little space between her and Tom. Faith's quills were a little ruffled, indicating that she had just gotten out of bed. Faith locked eyes with Maddie and smiled shyly.
"Good morning, Grandma," she chirped.
"Good morning, sweetie," Maddie yawned, sitting up. That's when she saw Sonic standing in the doorway of the guest bedroom, her son smiling fondly at them. She noticed Faith looking at her with a hopeful expression on her face and knew what her granddaughter wanted.
"C'mere, sweetheart."
Faith giggled as she snuggled into Maddie's arms. She liked Grandma Maddie. She was very nice and she was looking forward to playing soccer with her. Aunt Jojo was kind of like Grandma – kind, funny, and not afraid to speak her mind. She wondered if Grandma had ever seen Earth tenrecs before and made a mental note to ask how Earth tenrecs differed from Mobian tenrecs. According to Dad, Earth counterparts of Mobians were often smaller.
Tom woke up a few minutes later to find his wife cuddling with their granddaughter. "Hey there, Faith. Sleep well?" he asked, ruffling the little tenrec's quills.
"Mm-hmmm. Morning, Grandpa," Faith greeted him before scooching over to cuddle with him next.
Grandparents and granddaughter soon left the second guest bedroom and went downstairs. Rachel and Jojo were already up and helping Shadow make breakfast while Sonic and Tails were discussing how to travel around Mobius with their extended family.
"If we're going to Station Square, we can use one ring to get there. We can take the car, Blue Force One, and the Dark Rider through," Tails suggested, stowing a bag of rings into one of the compartments of his utility belt.
"Cool. I got Ames to reserve a shuttle at Resistance HQ that we can fly to Angel Island and see how the wedding venue preparations are going," Sonic said.
"Hold on." Rachel turned to look at the two brothers over the kitchen island. "We'll have to fly to get to the wedding?" she asked.
"Oh, right… You weren't with Mom and Dad when we met Knuckles. He lives on a floating island that's constantly on the move. Shads and I figured it was the safest place to have the wedding since it keeps changing position so less chances of an Eggman surprise," Sonic informed her.
"How does it float?" Jojo asked, her eyes wide, flipping one last pancake onto a platter already stacked high with the sweet breakfast food.
"That's a secret we can't share, yet." Tails and Sonic looked at each other, then glanced at their parents. They already knew what was on Angel Island but had promised Knuckles to never tell another living soul. "But I'm sure Knuckles will let you two in on the secret when we get there," Tails said cheerfully.
After a delicious breakfast of pancakes with fresh fruit, it was time to head out. Tails opened up the garage door, revealing a sleek, semi-enclosed, blue cabin motorcycle and a black chrome-plated motorcycle with red detailing.
"Sweet rides, you two," Tom whistled.
"Tails is the mastermind behind Blue Force One." Sonic grinned, ruffling his little brother's fur.
"All G.U.N. units are assigned one vehicle. I chose the bike," Shadow said nonchalantly.
"And you customized it yourself and do maintenance on it on the reg," Sonic added, getting a small smile from the black hedgehog.
"I really like this bike," Shadow said simply before attaching a black sidecar that sported red detailing like the Dark Rider. Faith whooped as she climbed into the sidecar and put on a purple helmet decorated with lightning bolts.
"Seatbelt, young miss," Shadow reminded her, pointing to the seatbelt attached to the sidecar's plush red cushion seats.
"Yes, Papa," Faith nodded while Shadow donned a black helmet.
Tom, Maddie, Rachel, and Jojo all got in the car and followed Sonic, who was riding Blue Force One, to an empty field. Tails went to the front of the field and threw a ring, opening a portal to Station Square. Sonic signaled to Tom, his Dad giving him a thumbs-up out of the driver's side window, and rode Blue Force One into the portal. Tom and the rest of the family followed while Tails sat behind Shadow on the Dark Rider as they brought up the rear.
Skyscrapers and a back alley were the first things the human members of Sonic's family saw. Blue Force One drove out into the freeway and Tom kept a steady pace, making sure no other cars went ahead. The last thing he needed was to get lost in a Mobian city.
After twenty minutes of driving, the convoy parked in front of a boutique that had a smiling golden cat on the sign. A pink hedgehog was waiting in front of the boutique and waved excitedly to the group.
"Amy!" Jojo squealed, running over to her Mobian gal pal the second she got out of the car.
"Jojo, ohmigosh, it's been too long!" Amy Rose laughed, hugging the human teen. Looking at Jojo, she marveled at how much she'd grown before being swept up into another hug by Rachel. During her visits to Earth, Amy had gotten really close with Maddie's sister and niece who taught her how to bake cookies, pies, and cakes. Back on Mobius, she opened up a successful bakery and made sure to include all the specialties Rachel and Jojo taught her how to make.
"How's the bakery doing, baby? Business doing good?" Rachel asked after Amy had given Tom and Maddie hugs.
"It's doing great. I decided to include that Chocolate Raspberry Cake in the menu a few months ago and it's been the best-seller! I've got more bakers now to help run the shop and I'm teaching one of my friends some of your recipes," Amy said, beaming.
"We'll definitely stop by your bakery later, Ames. I can't wait to see what flavors you and your team's come up with for the wedding cake," Sonic said, lightly placing an arm over Amy's shoulder.
"Of course! This cake has got to meet both your approval and Shadow's. It's got to be perfect!" Amy declared then chuckled as a white and pink convertible with light blue headlights and a heart-shaped grille parked in front of the boutique next to Shadow's motorcycle. "Here come the rest of the welcome crew."
Faith noticed the newcomers and started running towards them. "Auntie Rouge! Mr. Omega!" she cheered.
"Hello, my little gemstone!" A honeyed voice laughed.
"HELLO, FAITH." A robotic-sounding voice came next.
Rachel let out a small shout and pulled Jojo to her. Tom and Maddie took a step back as a hulking black-and-red robot lumbered towards them, its red optics flashing as it laid eyes on them one-by-one. Next to the robot, holding a smiling Faith, was a Mobian bat with white hair wearing a purple bodysuit and a belt with a heart-shaped buckle.
"So you're all Sonic and Tails' family. It's nice to finally meet you all in person." Rouge the Bat's eyes twinkled as she looked at the four humans in front of her. She lightly tickled Faith's nose, causing the little tenrec to giggle.
"SCANS COMPLETE. THESE HUMANS ARE NOT A THREAT TO FAITH," the robot announced.
"They're family, Mr. Omega. They'll never hurt me or Dad or Papa or Uncle Tails," Faith piped up, gently tapping the robot's shoulder. Tom swallowed, noticing the omega symbol emblazoned on its left shoulder plate. He wondered if this Mr. Omega was one of Robotnik's old projects. The color scheme and intimidating glowing red eyes brought back memories of the mad doctor's machines.
"These are my teammates, everyone. Rouge is Team Dark's spy. E-123 Omega, Team Dark's muscle, and firepower," Shadow introduced his friends to the humans.
"So that makes you the leader?" Maddie asked curiously.
"To some degree, yes." Shadow nodded, prompting Rouge to playfully smack him in the arm.
"Hun, you're too modest for your own good," Rouge said before hooking Shadow's arm in hers. "Well, we'd love to stay and get to know you humans better, but we've got to take the groom away for his tux fitting. Big Blue, you don't mind if I steal your man away for a bit?"
"Just meet us at Amy's bakery and we're good," Sonic replied, winking. Rouge laughed and winked back, giving Shadow a moment to kiss Sonic and Faith on the cheeks, before she took him and Omega back to her car and drove off.
Amy approached Tom, Maddie, Rachel, and Jojo, brows knit together. "We should get inside," she told them, jade eyes looking at the other Mobians passing by. Some of them were giving the four members of Sonic and Tails' family a wide berth while others rushed past, keeping their heads down.
Seeing how skittish the onlookers were becoming, the Wachowski family headed inside the boutique. But even inside, customers shrank away from the humans and hurriedly finished their purchases before heading out.
Sonic winced. "Sorry about the cold reception. Eggman's attacked this city before during the war. Tails and I told the authorities that there's nothing to worry about you guys visiting. But… well…" he mumbled.
"It's cool, buddy. I can't blame them for being nervous around us," Tom said, patting his eldest son on the back.
A golden-furred cat with long black hair tied into two ponytails wearing a red dress sprinted over to the group. "Sonic the Hedgehog! Right on time. And you four must be his family. Honey the Cat. Pleasure to meet you," she greeted the four humans enthusiastically.
"Honey's one of the best fashion designers here in Station Square. She'll get all of you outfitted for the wedding in no time," Amy said, high-fiving Honey as she passed her to grab her tools.
"The wedding's in two weeks. You sure you'll have enough time?" Maddie asked only to find Honey already measuring her sister and Jojo.
"There's nothing I love more than a design challenge, Mrs. Wachowski. And, given your species, designing outfits for you four will be the most thrilling challenge I've had since designing combat gear for the war." Honey's tail swished as she measured her and Tom next. "Oh, yes, this is going to be absolutely exciting! I'm going back to sweet with this wedding ensemble. The core of my style!" she said before sharing a look with Amy. The two girls posed side-by-side, both winking and pressing their thumb on their cheek.
"Because if you don't look sweet, you're not wearing Honey!" Both ladies chanted.
"Alright, everyone, get those sewing machines up and running! We're about to make some fashion magic!" Honey clapped her hands and her crew of dressmakers were off, carrying rolls of white, gold, and blue fabric and spools of brightly-colored thread. More of Honey's workers approached Tom, Maddie, Rachel, and Jojo, their gazes apprehensive.
Jojo smiled warmly at them. "It's okay. We come in peace," she reassured them, giving the workers a peace sign.
"It's alright." Sonic stepped forward and Tom and Maddie saw the apprehension turn into quiet reverence as the workers stared at Sonic in awe.
"They're my family. They won't hurt you," Sonic said gently.
"You heard the man. These humans are welcome in my store and they're as important as any other customer we've had," Honey chimed in.
The workers looked at Tom, Maddie, Rachel, and Jojo who waited patiently for them to make their decision. After a few minutes of looking at each other, Honey's crew nodded and approached Sonic's family to take extra measurements and consult them on the styles.
"Thank you," Amy said, smiling gratefully at Honey.
"Any friend of yours, Rose, is a friend of mine." Honey clasped the pink hedgehog's hand. Then she turned to Sonic, Tails, and Faith.
"Tails, Faith dear, you two go with Amy to try on your outfits. Groom, with me," said Honey and led Sonic to another room inside her boutique.
For the next two hours, measurements were taken and re-taken, fabric cut and stitched, and sewing machines turned on and off. Conversation flowed freely along with the complimentary drinks. Soon, the tension that lingered between Mobians and humans abated and was replaced with friendly conversation.
"We'll be done with these by next week. If you need any adjustments made, let us know ASAP," A Mobian woodpecker told Tom as he took down notes.
"This must be the most insane project you guys have worked on," Tom remarked.
"We've worked with a variety of Mobians. But, we gotta admit, you humans have distinctly different proportions compared to our kind," the woodpecker, whose name tag read 'Quint,' replied.
"Which makes this a momentous occasion in our careers. To think we're the first to design and make clothing for humans!" A dormouse named Cherie exclaimed as she worked at her sewing machine.
Rachel and Jojo were chatting with two other workers who were handling the fabrics.
"White and gold for the ladies. How chic," Rachel complimented.
Amy then emerged from the fitting rooms with Faith and Tails, beaming proudly.
"Oh, Miles, Faith! You two look so cute!" Maddie gushed, taking out her phone to take pictures.
"Thanks, Mom…" Tails mumbled, his muzzle a bright shade of red. He was dressed in a slick royal blue tuxedo jacket over a white collared shirt with no pants. Pants were more of an optional thing on Mobius given how most Mobians had thin legs and preferred to have a free range of motion for them. If they wore pants, it was more for fashion over function.
"I love this dress!" Faith twirled around, loving how her dress's skirt flared as she spun. Her short-sleeved flower girl dress was made of white satin with a tulle petticoat underneath. Embroidered on the bodice and along the skirt were yellow sunflowers while a pink silk ribbon encircled the waist.
"Looking good, kiddo," Tom remarked, hanging back while Maddie, Rachel, and Jojo took pictures.
"Oh, finally… I thought I'd be in there forever…" Sonic's voice sounded out from the closed room Honey had ushered him into two hours ago.
"Hey, you're the one who said, quote-unquote, "I wanna make sure Shadow's jaw is going to drop and everyone's eyes are gonna be on me when I walk down the aisle." I have to make sure everything here's perfect before including the flowers…"
Honey was the first to exit the room, looking pleased with herself. "Now, this outfit isn't the final look. The design's going to incorporate some flower arranging. In the meantime, voila!" she said with a flourish as Sonic came out.
The ladies' squeals increased in volume and pitch while Sonic managed a shy grin. "So… how do I look?" he asked, gesturing to his bridegroom attire. Underneath the white, gold-trimmed, tuxedo jacket, he wore a white button-down and a blue tie. Behind him trailed a luxurious white cape trimmed with gold.
Tom felt a lump form in his throat. His son looked amazing. His son… his now-adult son who was soon to be married. Memories of Sonic's life with him and Maddie flashed before his eyes.
Sonic's reaction to his new room up in the attic.
His first meal with them in the house.
His first official movie night with them.
His first day at school.
Watching Sonic take Ozzy for a walk all by himself around the neighborhood.
Morning yoga sessions with Maddie.
Sonic's first Little League game.
Adopting Tails after the little fox bumped into Sonic during one of their family hikes in the woods.
Traveling to Mobius for the first time with their boys. Saying goodbye to Sonic and Tails when the two decided to stay to keep Robotnik from returning to Earth… so many memories…
"Grandpa, are you okay?"
Tom didn't realize he was crying when Faith tugged at his shirt and looked up at him with big worried eyes.
"I'm fine, kiddo… I'm just…" Tom muttered, wiping his eyes before a blue blur suddenly collided with him.
Sonic grinned at him, tears sparkling in his emerald green eyes. "You have no idea how happy I am to have you and Mom with me right now. And… I'm so happy, Dad. I'm so happy you guys will be there to walk me down the aisle," he choked out, hugging Tom tightly.
Letting out a soft laugh, Tom hugged him back. Maddie joined him, tears of joy freely running down her face. Rachel, Jojo, Tails, and Faith followed suit, despite Honey's warnings that their outfits would get wrinkled.
"I'm so proud of you… Your Mom and I are so proud of you, son…" Tom murmured, feeling Sonic shake as he sobbed with happiness.
Next Chapter: The gang heads to Amy's bakery where they get to know a little more about Team Dark as well as meet Amy's apprentice baker.
Read and review! Reviews help me improve my writing so don't be shy.
-GuardianDragon98